Dublin At Night

                                        

Irish Pubs

Temple bar is an area of the south bank of the River Liffey. It's one of the oldest pubs and the most popular. On this street, there is pub after pub with food, souvenir, and clothing shops in between. It's great to hop from place to place where live music is going on.  It was the weekend of St. Patrick's day and everyone was celebrating on that Friday afternoon. There were business men who just got finished with work, students with their friends, and older couples and locals present. 

From the outside, streets you could hear a variety of music walking down the cobblestone road. The name did not matter so much rather it was the energy, the crowd, and the quality of the band. We found a great spot that had live music of Irish songs and some American. They had their own spin on everything, which was quite refreshing. It was special just sitting on my seat and observing my surroundings. I was in Ireland at an official Irish pub. It wasn't a pub in New York or Chicago or London rather it was the real deal in the heart of Dublin. With some cute courage, I danced a bit with a few girls in the front-letting our hips follow the beat and clapping along. It was my favorite when they played Johnny Cash(quite well).


Next, there were a couple bars along the same way with live Irish music. One was a bit too rowdy and over decorated. The other was nice to relax with a club soda or a beer(like 90 percent of people) and watch the music. The pubs are definitely full of energy and people up and dancing. St.Patrick's day may be a slight factor, but people did mentioned it was like this all the time.

These people are going have a drink, have a good time, and have of cheer/laughter. It's a relaxed and carefree environment where people enjoy. Things can become fun and things can also get out of hand, but it's a good Irish time. 

Streets Have a Name(U2)

Christ Church

Dublin Sights

Dublin is interesting because it's very different than what you would think it would be. Of course, there are lots of pubs for drinking and Irish corn beef and cabbage, but there is so much more than the stereotypes presented. Locals and travelers will often say to you, "Dont spend more than a couple days in Dublin- it's just another big city."

When you come to Dublin, there is plenty to see and do and this statement just doesn't match up. 

Dublin has such a variety of old and new architecture- it's fantastic. The river has these beautiful backdrops of the new buildings built within the last 5-10 years. The other side is full of history and houses of great writers, historians, or poets. 

There are incredible libraries(the famous trinity college, the museums, great restaurants/food, pub after pub with live music, historical monuments, castles, opera/symphony/plays. I wouldn't compare it will all major cities because it has a special charm and unique quality that I enjoyed. It seemed like everything had some history or significance. 

Great pad thai for lunch, an amazing salad bar and an adorable cafe, Irish coffee, and fish and cabbage. The food quality is quite surprising. 

The old Jameson and Guinness distillery were not of interest to us, but the area was awesome. It was like a Lower east side looking area- hip and trendy- loved it. 

Super bummed I missed the Writers museum, but we can't have it all- just something close to it:)

Places visited:

St Patricks Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral 

Irish museum of modern art

National gallery of Art

National history museum 

Convention center Dublin 

U2 street 

Area with all famous pubs and nightlife 

Opera hall 

Trinity college Dublin

Save the best for last this is absolutely amazing! 

Federal building/ UN building

Many more on the bus tour just sightseeing 

Woman Down

Driving along the coast we decided to stop by the beach. I always love to stand right by the water where the tide comes up. I stand there until the water is just about to touch my feet and I run up. It's a "childish" behavior, but I'm a child at heart loving the water. 

Being a bit presumptuous, I thought I could move up a bit closer. I stay there for a bit jumping back as needed. Then a huge wave comes in-so strong it knocks me over! My pants are soaked, my gym shoes, and.....

                     I look like this....

God bless the beautiful sunshine and water- totally worth it for those peaceful moments. 

Dublin Castle-Heart of Irish History

Not being the tourist who realizes thag God gave us legs to use them, we decided to walk through the rest of the stops. Walking into an ancient plaza, it looks like the Plaza De Mayor in Spain. My eyes look up and my body is moving itself in circles, "Wow, there must be some history here."

We walk into the main lobby with the usual crystal chandelier and the red carpet trained up the stair case. Irish royalty has arrived and is ready to share its presence. 

We just made it for the last English tour of the day and I was eager to hear about the history of this place. 

It was founded in the first Celtic settlement in the first century AD.

It's not one of those castles that is only for tourism rather they have state apartments for people to stay there. They also have a large conference room with regular meetings. They just had a conference the week before with leaders from over 15 countries present.